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Planning commission recommends zoning-text changes to address 'antiquated subdivisions' and accessory uses
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended R25-01, a zoning regulation text amendment to define antiquated subdivisions and to modify accessory-use rules in single-household residential districts to facilitate responsible development of undersized, older subdivisions.
The Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend a zoning regulation text amendment, docket R25-01, to the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday. The proposed amendment would add a definition for “antiquated subdivisions” and adjust accessory-use provisions in SR zoning districts to clarify when accessory structures may precede or exceed the size of a principal residence in older, undeveloped plats.
Planning staff presented the proposal as part of broader efforts to address numerous small, fragmented subdivisions—many created decades ago and partly undeveloped—that constrain owners’ ability to participate in county owner-builder programs or to combine lots for residential use. Staff said the amendment would align SR accessory-language with provisions already in other sections of the code and remove barriers that prevent reuse of these parcels while retaining customary height and size limits and the requirement that accessory uses remain incidental to primary residences.
Commissioners discussed the practical effects, including continued height limits (30 feet for principal structures, 20 feet for some accessory uses as noted), the difficulty of enforcing deadlines for building principal residences after accessory construction, and ways the county would identify antiquated subdivisions using tax-lien and address data for mapping. Planning staff said the amendment is intended to incentivize consolidation and productive use of those parcels rather than require immediate upgrades.
The commission voted to forward the amendment to the Board of Supervisors for final action in July.
